Solar water heating, heat exchangers
Heat exchangers are used in solar powered systems. They are normally copper pipes
located in the storage hot water tank. The fluid inside the pipes is heated from
the solar collectors and the heated fluid travels along the pipes and into the storage
tank.
The copper pipe is normally in the form of a coil. Usually the coil is located at
the bottom of the tank. The heated fluid passes through it and as a result, the
water in the tank is heated.
Because the fluid in the pipes does not come into contact with the water in the
tank this system is called a “closed loop”.
A less common type of heat exchanger is externally mounted. This is basically a
pipe within a pipe. The fluid from the collectors, and the potable water, flow in
different directions. The fluid is normally moved using a pump.